Koshonic Body Stress Release© or a Koshonic treatment as it is otherwise known is a method of complementary and alternative/ integrative medicine used by trained and certified allied health professionals who manually apply a subtle movement of the chi or "life force energy" about the body in an attempt to bring the body, mind, and spirit into harmony.

The Koshonic treatment combines deeply relaxing techniques with energy balancing and remedial bodywork. While working on an emotional level, after a treatment the receiver often experiences freedom from worry, anxiety, fear and other negative thought patterns. The true purpose of a Koshonic treatment is to bring balance and sense of well being of body, mind and spirit.

A Koshonic Body Stress Release© treatment not only feels great but also provides immediate and long lasting health benefits. It releases stored stress in the body and stimulates endorphin production, which improves emotional well-being. It aids the lymphatic system in removing and detoxifying the body of waste products, clearing toxins from not only the cellular level, but also of the emotional and spiritual bodies as well. Koshonic treatments improve muscle function, releasing knots and muscle tension. And unlike deep tissue massage it is virtually pain free and the results of treatments increase range of motion and dexterity. Because energy work is combined with light bodywork as well as ancient shamanic practices to healing the response is a restored vigor, giving a youthful, healthy glow. A program of regular Koshonic treatments greatly improves quality of life. These are so gentle in comparison to massage that many fibromyalgia and touch sensitive patients find that regular treatment is tolerable and healing.

Koshonic Body Stress Release© builds on the belief the individual is a whole organism: that everything is connected and related and that the symptoms presented are only that… symptoms. Koshonic goes to the source of the problem and treats it accordingly. The energetic body as well as the physical body should be considered concurrently. Koshonic treatments use different and varied healing techniques in combination to tailor a treatment unique to each individual. New discoveries in quantum physics and biology reveal remarkable insight regarding the ability of people to heal. They have shown how modalities such as bodywork, shamanic healing, and energy work, and healing practices, some dating to thousands of years ago, influence healing. This emerging Epigenetic Medicine provides a greater awareness to understand the connectedness of ourselves and our natural state of being.

Koshonic Body Stress Release© blends conscious body attentiveness with energy awareness, creating a healing, relaxing and renewing freedom. Practitioners use Koshonic Body Stress Release© to adjunct therapies of both allopathic and complementary medicine treating asthma, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Rheumatoid Arthritis, osteoarthritis, neck and back pain, hip and joint pain, autoimmune disorders, stress reduction as well as emotional and psychological traumas; but it is not limited to this list. Though typically Koshonic treatments are just one spoke in the healing treatment plan wheel, it can also be done independently of any other modality with good effect.

A typical Koshonic treatment is performed with the client fully-clothed, in a prone position either on a massage table or massage chair, and usually lasts about one hour, though 30-minute treatments are also acceptable. The client is positioned for comfort and the practitioner generally will do hands-on energy therapy along the spine from the sacrum to neck, followed by a gentle rocking motion to the torso and legs. During this process the practitioner may also include a variety of shamanic and energy techniques as applicable. Then a gentle rubbing of the back and torso, possibly including the extremities is done, with a concentration of gentle tapping to key areas along the meridian system, which may include the base of the skull and head. Gentle rubbing continues along the head similar to a scalp massage. This is followed by light percussion along the torso, buttocks and possibly legs and arms. Cupping of energy then follows. The auric field is then feathered with the practitioner's hands and the treatment is completed. The practitioner may use discretion in which steps are suitable for each client, and may or may not follow them in sequential order, with time restraints and the extent of trauma being factors. Clients tend to first notice intense relaxation during and after the treatment, which has been affectionately called the "drool factor."

Practitioners have been limited to an obscure but holistic martial art, Kosho Hoho Yooga that is up until recently. Kosho Hoho Yooga can trace its lineage to the temples of Japan, to the sohei or Japanese Warrior monks. A monk named Eizon is credited for founding a martial art called Kosho Ryu Kempo in 1235 AD, which Kosho Hoho Yooga is derived. These monks were not only warriors, but renowned mystics and healers.

Kosho Hoho Yooga practitioners study the internal aspects of martial arts, which include but are not limited to energy strikes and energy cultivation, but also are renowned healers focusing on energy medicine, herbal medicine, massage, shiatsu, and shamanic therapy. It is the study of these modalities and Koshonic healing, which produces a more well rounded martial artist; a more spiritual martial artist; a better healer and warrior.

Kosho Ryu Kempo has been growing throughout the world since James Mitose first introduced kempo during WW2. Kosho Hoho Yooga is a smaller, lesser-known branch of the same tree with only a handful of teachers in the US which deals more with the esoteric aspects of the martial arts than those identified in many commercial martial arts schools. For more on Kosho Hoho Yooga information on ranking and history as well as instructors can be found on its website at http://www.freewebs.com/kosho_hoho_yooga or at its main hombu site http://www.freewebs.com/mizu_tama_dojo . Information on training in Koshonic Body Stress Release© can also be found on these sites as well.

Christopher Bashaw, RN and Certified Natural Fitness Trainer, and the licensed family head of this healing and martial system has now made training open to the public and is making this holistic healing art available to the public. http://www.freewebs.com/mizu_tama_dojo

Bashaw is available to come and speak at your organization on Kosho Hoho Yooga and the modalities he teaches such as Reiki, Tai Chi, Chi Kung, Herbology, Shugendo Yoga, and Nutrition. To book a treatment contact Pinewood Healing Arts, 255 route 108 in Somersworth, NH (603) 692-1816.